The Animal Research War

Here is what people are saying about The Animal Research War:

The Animal Research War offers an invaluable resource that will not be soon replaced.- Science Magazine

Animal researchers in the United States are the targets of terrorists. If you need persuading that this is happening and that this is bad, read this book...If you experiment with animals, this book should persuade you to open your post with a letter-opener instead of your finger. There are people out there who really hate you.– Nature

It’s a cracking good read. -RDS News

The Animal Research War is a lively, occasionally terrifying account of the assault on animal research that will interest nonresearchers and researchers alike. –Journal of Clinical Investigation

…well-written, thoroughly researched work… -American Society of Laboratory Animal Practitioners News

Conn and Parker unfold stories of attacks and put to rest some of the tired myths of laboratory animals; myths that animal extremists need to perpetuate in order to validate their own dire actions. It is extremely important that an informed public know what is really going on, and how it impacts on the future of healthcare and medical advances. We hope you will also pass it along and help spread truth." — States United for Biomedical Research

"The authors of The Animal Research War are to be congratulated for exposing the tactics of animal extremists, and in particular the extent to which they are prepared to go in their effort to abolish all use of experimental animals. The actions of this tiny minority to deny the ongoing importance of animal research for progress in human and animal health are a disservice to us all." —Canadians for Health Research

The BBC's science and technology magazine Focus has a feature on the "most dangerous jobs in the world." They include HazMat teams, snake venom farmers, volcanologists--and animal researchers. The story includes what has happened to co-author of The Animal Research War, P. Michael Conn. – Wesley J Smith in “Second Hand Smoke”

Threats, booby-trapped envelopes rigged with razor blades, and beatings with baseball bats have scared biomedical researchers out of the field and slowed advances in human health care, say endocrinologist Michael Conn and his coauthor, James Parker.  Twenty years ago animal rights activists would meet with scientists to discuss their concerns openly, the authors write, but over the past decade a wing of the movement has become so violent that in 2005 the FBI called it “one of today’s most serious domestic terrorism threats.” – Discover Magazine

“The Animal Research War exposes the tactics of animal extremists for what they are - terrorism. The actions of a tiny minority have seriously set back the progress of research aimed at reducing the suffering of people and animals. It is time for scientists, patients and all who abhor the use of terror to stand up for the future of medical research. -- Colin Blakemore, Former Chief Executive, Medical Research Council now Chief Executive of the Research Defense Society. 

The Animal Research War makes a compelling case that animal extremism, with its threat to biomedical research and the improvement of human and animal health, is an international problem.”  -- Christian Bréchot, Director General of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research

Excerpts from The Animal Research War, however, have already appeared in two magazines, American Scientist, published by the scientific society Sigma XI, and The Scientist, which covers the life sciences. The latter featured the book on its cover, with the headline: "The WAR Against Your Work." Will that rile animal researchers? That's what Conn and Parker are hoping for. Their book is a battle cry: it asks the research community and its supporters to fight back against a well-honed opposition. As the authors illustrate in detail, both researchers and university administrators are far too prone to cower in dismay rather than stand up for their work. – New Scientist

Every once in a while, a title comes along whose importance warrants a shout from the rooftops. In The Animal Research War, Dr. Michael Conn and James Parker make a powerful case that the animal “rights” movement has declared moral bankruptcy by personally and viciously targeting medical researchers whose work requires the use of animals.  It’s a compelling read. –Center for Consumer Freedom

I can't offer any stronger recommendation than this; if you are in any way involved in the security of animal research, read this book.—Shawn Flaugher in RTP Physical Security

Conn and Parker’s vivid narratives provide interesting insights into the animal rights movement and the making of an animal rights terrorist. The success of the movement, its tactics and strategies, and the public support it has garnered form the basis for a compelling psychological analysis. –Molecular In(ter)ventions

… an interesting field guide to the various groups involved in the animal rights movement. … gripping tales of what it's like to be a target for extremists and the price that society pays when scientists are driven away from biomedical work. …(describes) the philosophies and strategies used by different groups …. One of the most poignant parts of the book is …  the scientists who gave up their work and the students and doctors who've been scared away from working on human disease.  "The Animal Research War" would be a good book to add to college and high school libraries and to accompany a bioethics course. --Sandra Porter, Discovering Biology in a Digital World

Conn and his co-author, James V. Parker, make a clear distinction between those who care about animal welfare and the extremists, a tiny minority who use violence, intimidation and exaggeration to bring attention to their cause. –The Oregonian

As referenced on NPR’s Science Friday/Talk of the Nation, the LA Times, the Washington Post, This Week in Science, The Scientist, The American Scientist, Skeptical Inquirer